“What were you up to?”

“Helping to catch some heinous poachers in Kekexili.”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. said, “Nonsense.”

Logan Sullivan fell silent.

Mr. Sullivan Sr. was quiet for a moment. “Your mom told me about this a couple of days ago. I just haven’t figured out how to talk to you about it, so I didn’t come to you.”

Logan Sullivan looked at him, a bit tired.

“When you were little, those years were the peak of my career, the busiest time. Your mom was the one taking care of you then—I hardly did my part. I never thought much of it, until later, when you started school. Your mom dragged me to the school’s parent club, and on weekends, we’d sit with other parents and teachers, chatting about our kids. That’s when I realized—you were different from the other children.”

Logan Sullivan gave a bitter smile. “What do you mean different? You just had a freak for a kid… Enough, Dad, let’s talk another time. I really don’t feel like talking today.”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. looked at him silently. “I’ve spoiled you enough—as if letting you go off and apply to that Special Investigation Bureau on a whim wasn’t enough, I even pulled some strings for you. Did I ever nag you about it? Don’t push your luck.”

“…” Logan Sullivan was silent for a while. “Fine, what do you want to ask?”

“First, I have to ask the obvious: can you break up with that teacher?”

“No,” Logan Sullivan said firmly.

“I’m not getting worked up. Let’s discuss this calmly,” Mr. Sullivan Sr. frowned. “Tell me, what do you like about him? What makes him irreplaceable? What is it about him that’s worth facing social pressure for, and the fact that you two can’t legally be together right now—why does it have to be him?”

“Mom isn’t even as pretty as Lin Chi-ling, so why did you stick with her and give up the whole forest for one tree?” Logan Sullivan said impatiently, then let out a low, frustrated grunt. “Public opinion is crap, and what’s legality? If I want, I’ll draw up my own marriage certificate. There are all kinds of carved seals at the university road entrance, five yuan each—what’s the big deal?”

Mr. Sullivan Sr.: “I’m trying to talk to you properly—what’s with your attitude?”

“…Sorry.” Logan Sullivan was silent for a moment, lowered his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose hard.

“Maybe one day, when your hormone levels return to normal, you’ll regret your choices now,” Mr. Sullivan Sr.’s tone was always calm and unhurried, making it easy for people to relax and listen, never coming across as overbearing. In fact, this attitude made his words easier to accept. He said, “Passion is a wonderful thing. I was young once too, I understand that feeling. But I don’t approve of love that’s too difficult. Do you know why?”

Logan Sullivan didn’t answer.

“Have you read ‘Anna Karenina’?” Mr. Sullivan Sr. drove slowly down the empty street at twenty kilometers an hour. “Why did Anna die in the end? Of course, you could argue her affair was immoral, while yours is legitimate—I agree with that. But there’s one thing in common: love is both incredibly resilient and incredibly fragile. When it’s obstructed and oppressed, it can generate immense power, becoming something almost great. That’s why it’s been praised throughout history. But remember this: ‘What defeats you is never the mountain, but the grain of sand in your shoe.’”

Logan Sullivan said nothing.

Mr. Sullivan Sr. sighed. “Difficult love can be endured with strength and sacrifice, but love always returns to the ordinary. Have you thought about that? When that time comes, when you see each other and the hormones have faded, what you’ll remember won’t be the beautiful heart-fluttering moments, but the hardships and pain you suffered together. How will you face him then, and how will he face you? Have you thought about it? People are like this—don’t think you’re the exception. Do you remember that ice cream shop you loved as a kid?”

Logan Sullivan slowly shook his head.

“Your mom was afraid you wouldn’t grow tall, so she wouldn’t let you have snacks. You obsessed over that ice cream, even went on a hunger strike. When I came back from a business trip, I came up with a solution—I took you there three times a day, let you pick whatever you wanted, at least two big boxes each time. Even if you got a stomachache, I didn’t stop you. After a month, just mentioning that ice cream shop made you cry and cling to the doorframe, refusing to go.”

Logan Sullivan managed a weak smile. Mr. Sullivan Sr. said calmly, “Now think about it, and tell me—do you really think you and that teacher can go on like this?”

The way he spoke, no one could ignore. Logan Sullivan paused before replying, his voice still hoarse. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the side, gulped down half, and finally said slowly, “Actually, I’ve known William Sherman for a long time. If you count from when I first started working, it’s been years. Dad, I know what you mean. But there are some people in this world—not the kind you find more and more attractive, or so beautiful you can’t live without them, or the kind that makes you want to give up everything for them. It’s just that, if you ever let them down, you’d feel like you’re not even a decent person.”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. turned to look at him. Logan Sullivan leaned back in the car seat, eyes half open, half closed. Maybe from lack of sleep, his already deep-set double eyelids looked almost triple-folded, making him look especially tired.

Mr. Sullivan Sr. listened, silent for a long time, before finally saying with some difficulty, “Alright then, you’re an adult. There are things I have no right to interfere with. If that’s how you feel, I really have nothing more to say—next time I’m home and you have time, you can bring him over for dinner.”

“Thank you.” When Logan Sullivan said this, he didn’t look very happy. His brows were still furrowed, and after a while, he said with some difficulty, “Dad, will you have a few drinks with me?”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. glanced at him, turned the car around, and took him to a quiet little restaurant run by locals. He opened the drink menu and pushed it in front of Logan Sullivan. “Order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

Then he nodded to the waiter. “A pot of Tieguanyin for me.”

The father and son sat across from each other. There was a subtle resemblance in their demeanor. One drank tea, the other drank alcohol. Neither spoke, neither disturbed the other.

Logan Sullivan didn’t flush when he drank; the more he drank, the paler he became. When there were already two empty bottles in front of him, Mr. Sullivan Sr. stopped his hand from calling the waiter and said, “Bring him a glass of honey water—sometimes a drink can help when you’re feeling down, but I’m your father. I have to watch you, make sure you don’t get alcohol poisoning or a stomach ulcer.”

Logan Sullivan paused. “I haven’t eaten yet. Bring me a plate of fried rice too.”

“Now can you tell me what happened? Did you have a fight with the teacher?” Mr. Sullivan Sr. asked.

“No way.” Logan Sullivan managed a strained smile. “I’m way past the age of fighting over trivial crap.”

Mr. Sullivan Sr.: “Then what is it?”

Logan Sullivan was silent for a long time, staring at the marble tabletop as if he could see patterns in the random veins. Only when his water and rice arrived did his eyes move slightly. He said in a low voice, “A lot of things… I don’t know if I’m right or wrong. What should I do?”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. lit a cigarette and was silent for a while. “I can tell you how I feel. At my age, I think there are four things in life you shouldn’t be too obsessed with: longevity, right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death.”

Logan Sullivan looked up at him.

“Persistence can be a virtue, but if you’re too hung up on ‘longevity,’ you’ll be anxious and lose sight of your path. If you’re too hung up on ‘right and wrong,’ you’ll get stuck in a rut—there aren’t that many absolutes in the world. If you’re too hung up on ‘good and evil,’ you won’t tolerate any flaws, and sometimes you’ll be self-righteous, hoping the rules will bend to your will—you’ll always be disappointed. If you’re too hung up on ‘life and death,’ your vision will be narrow, and you’ll never rise above the second tier in life.”

Logan Sullivan listened in silence.

“Some things can’t stand up to scrutiny, can’t stand to be overthought, and aren’t worth getting stuck in. Since you’ve already done it, there’s no need to dwell on whether it’s right or wrong. Instead of torturing yourself, think about what to do next. Don’t you think?”

After listening, Logan Sullivan downed the whole glass of honey water in one go, then calmly said, “I can’t eat anymore. I need to go throw up. After that, can you drive me home?”

Mr. Sullivan Sr. drove him all the way to his building but didn’t go up. “That teacher is at your place, right? I won’t go up unannounced if he’s not ready. You go ahead. We’ll arrange another time.”

Logan Sullivan, with his back to him, waved and walked upstairs under the starlit sky.